Posts Tagged ‘heraldic’

This cute sweatshirt we found on asos is a good example of a simple accent adding a lot of elegance. This sweater is pretty simple on it’s own, but add a touch of embroidery in the right places and suddenly it’s worth nearly $80! The execution is chic but easy to do ourselves. Plus it’s a simple enough concept that there’s probably a shirt or sweater in your closet you could transform right now.

All you need to give your sweatshirt an updated look is of course, a sweatshirt, some awesome heraldic designs (in this case, the corner and frame edge) and some lace. We’re going to use the heraldic pieces to build a frame, and then applique the lace underneath. The lace is meant to mimic the fishnet stitching on the original, and give it that elegant edge. What’s nice is that by combining these embroidery designs into a large “frame” piece, you can still get a pretty big finished result, even with a small hoop.

Start with your front piece. Pin or spray your lace in place on your sweater, and then stitch your heraldic designs on top of it, in a closed “frame” shape. This isn’t the same oval as the original inspiration, but I personally think this sort of triangle shape is more flattering anyway. If you want to get a better idea about how to lay these out like this, you can check out our original heraldic tutorial. When your frame is done stitching, carefully cut away the excess lace outside of the stitched edge.

Ok! So one down, two more to go. You’re going to repeat this technique on your sleeves. If you’ve never stitched on sleeves before, it’s simple! All you need to do is split the seams all along the side of your sweater and down your sleeve, to let the fabric lay flat. There’s an easy tutorial on how to do it here. Once your have your sleeve open and flat, you can stitch the same “framed” lace piece up on the shoulder. Do this on both sides.

Stitch the back of your sleeves and side of your sweater closed again, and you’re done.

From plain closet sweater to a runway original, you can use this look on everything from tees to long sleeve shirts. It’s a bold statement without a lot of stitches and without the need for a giant hoop. The sweater from Glamorous was nice, but it always feels better to DIY, because you get to pick the cut, the colors, everything!